DEBATE: Should Religion and Politics Mix?

TONIGHT
from the Miller Center of Public Affairs press department ...

On Thursday, March 6 at 7:00 PM, the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in partnership with MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, will hold the third event of its National Discussion and Debate Series. Four participants will argue the proposed resolution: "Religion should have no place in politics or government." The debate will be moderated by Evan Thomas, Editor at Large of Newsweek.

Supporting the resolution:

Rev. Barry Lynn, Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Jacques Berlinerblau, Associate Professor and Director of the Program for Jewish Civilization, Georgetown University

Opposing:

Chuck Colson, Founder and Chairman of Prison Fellowship Ministries
Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr., Senior Pastor of Hope Christian Church

More information, including biographies of the debaters, research, lesson plans, news, audio, and video, is available online at www.millercenter.org/debates.

The debate, the third in a series of five taking place during the 2007-08 academic year, will take place at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va. It will be webcast live and archived on the Miller Center's web site, and will be broadcast on PBS analog and digital channels nationwide (check local listings for details). The conversation has already started online, via interactive group pages on YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Google, and Yahoo.

The National Discussion and Debate Series, the Miller Center's newest initiative, is addressing major issues facing the United States, including the war in Iraq, citizens' privacy in a post-9/11 America, health care and immigration. It aims to examine these issues in depth, and to contribute to the national conversation with a genuine, thoughtful give-and-take that will both enlighten people and provoke dialogue.